LITTLE ROCK (AP) — A former Little Rock police officer charged with manslaughter failed to persuade a judge Tuesday to allow evidence about the criminal records of the three teenagers in a car he fired at when answering a burglary call last year.

Jury selection is to start Monday in the trial of Josh Hastings, who was fired by the department after he fatally wounded Bobby Moore, 15, on Aug. 12 in the parking lot of an apartment complex.

After Tuesday’s rulings, the case will come down to whether prosecutors can show Hastings acted recklessly.

Police Chief Stuart Thomas said evidence from the scene didn’t match up with Hastings’ claim that the car Moore was driving was headed toward him.

Hastings was present but didn’t speak at the hearing. His attorney, Bill James, argued that jurors needed to see the full picture of what happened during the early morning incident.

Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen turned away motions by James seeking clearance to say at trial that the car was stolen and that a .40-caliber handgun, marijuana and a marijuana pipe were found in the vehicle. He also wanted to be able to describe the criminal records of Moore and the two other juvenile teens in the car.

Chief Assistant Prosecutor John Johnson said admitting the negative evidence about Moore would “put the victim on trial, which is not what this is about.”

James said not allowing the background about the youths would create the impression for jurors that the teenagers were “just little boys driving around at 4 in the morning breaking into cars.”

One passenger was adjudicated (the juvenile court equivalent of being found guilty) of breaking and entering and aggravated assault, the other on terroristic threatening.

James argued that if the tables were turned and the youths in the car had been charged with trying to harm an officer, their records would be admissible.

Griffen said details about what was in the car and the backgrounds of the people in didn’t reflect on whether Hastings had acted recklessly.